Is This Really It?
by RobinsFF
Summary: Bella is a young 20-something, married to Jacob and unhappy. What happens when she meets Edward? The true love of her life? Rated M for some lemons and adult themes. Semi-cannon parings. AH/OOC Fairly fluffy.
1. Chapter 1

Is This Really It?

My name is Isabella Swan. Friends call me Bella. This is one of my stories.

I was 18, in college and a total slut. I liked to drink, dabbled in drugs (nothing bad- some weed, LSD and a little X every now and then) and I liked boys. And I'll be damned, but the boys liked me too.

I wasn't always like this though. When I was in high school I was totally crazy in love with my boyfriend Liam. He was grungy, moody, and he played the guitar. We dated for three of my four high school years. He took my virginity, took my love, and took my pride when he dumped me for no good reason a week before prom.

I blame Liam for my destructive behavior that emerged when I went to college. I just didn't care anymore. I was 2,000 miles away from my small hometown in upstate NY. Yeah. I used college as an excuse to run away to Miami. Don't judge. It was a fresh start. I figured I could be anyone I wanted to be. And I wanted to be "that girl" You know, the one that parties, gets all the boys, has all the friends. The girl who's not afraid of anything.

Long story short, I became "that girl" rather quickly. I drank, I got tattooed, and I even sang really bad karaoke. I flirted shamelessly. If I liked a guy, I told him. If he liked me too, we usually ended up in the sack. I rarely kept a steady boyfriend around. I was often dating more than one guy at a time actually. I was reckless, crazy. Tried everything you could try in the bedroom (sometimes out of the bedroom too) I even managed to have a threesome (or two) in there. What? They were roommates and totally fucking hot, how could I pick just one?

After I graduated school, I got a job in Orlando as a manager in the Islands of Adventure theme park. I tried to keep up with my fun ways, but found that it got pretty old, pretty fast when you have these things called responsibilities.

Don't get me wrong, I tried to keep up with my less than moral ways. I went out with the crew after work for drinks. We partied; I still screwed around some with random men. I even fucked the shit out of the actor that played Spiderman for the shows in the park. I didn't let him take the mask off. It was hot.

One morning I got up, I had a raging hangover. I had no clue what had happened the night before. I showered and got dressed for work. But when I looked in the mirror and was greeted, not by my crazy ass, fun self. I was greeted by an adult who was dressed in professional attire. All of the sudden it was like a switch had been flipped.

When the fuck did that happen? HOW did this happen? I'm too young to be an adult!

I knew though that it was time to tame my crazy ways. I was 21, had my own apartment, and a job where I was the boss lady. I simply couldn't afford to screw around anymore. And frankly, the idea of continuing on the destructive path scared me. I remember thinking I was very lucky that I hadn't been raped or anything like that in the past. That was also the day I met Jacob.

Jacob was a nice guy. He was older (by 7 years), funny, kind, and cute. He worked at the park as well. (Well, he worked in City Walk, just outside the park.) He rarely drinks, has never done drugs, and has only had sex with women he'd considered serious girlfriends.

Who knew guys did that? Weird.

He was short. Only about 5'8 to my 5'4. I prefer taller men, but this was OK. He was built solidly, but was still slender. Most of all, it seemed that he actually liked ME. Not just my hot bod, not the fact that I was talented in drinking shots with my hands tied behind my back, and not because he'd heard I was an easy lay. He liked me for me.

He asked me out, and I accepted. We had a real date a few nights later. He picked me up, brought me flowers, opened doors, took me to dinner (he even paid!) and then to the movies (he paid AGAIN!) and then drove me home. He didn't try to get fresh with me; he didn't even try to kiss me. It was all new. I liked it. I felt like I was someone special. The whole night he paid attention to me, and only me. We talked, we got along. I think I liked him too. I think I could possibly fall in love with him.

What? That's odd. I've never thought that before.

Fast forward to one year later.

Jacob and I are still together but I'm not so sure anymore. Yes, we had confessed our love to each other. We were even talking about moving in together. But in the back of my head I kept wondering if I was just settling for second best. I still noticed the hot guys that would come my way. I always turned them down, but there were times when it was very VERY difficult to do that.

You don't do that when you're really in love do you? What the hell do I know? Maybe it's normal.

A prime example of my confusion: a new shop opened in Marvel Super Hero Island (that's where I still worked, managing all the food locations) Emmett was the manager of this new Oakley store. He was, for lack of better terms, fucking gorgeous. Tall, dark hair, light eyes and muscles. Not just any muscles. I swear even his muscles had muscles. I still drool thinking of him. He, of course, noticed me. How could he not? I'm 5'4, long brown hair, slender but toned. I have a decent rack and a nice ass. He would flirt when we'd pass by each other during work. He always part with some sexy innuendo. I flirted back. He gave me shades, I took them. If I offered lunch, he'd come. We hung out after work one night. There were drinks. There was some ass grinding dancing. We kissed. I wanted more. I freaked and left.

Back to the story at hand though- It's May, I had been working my ass off lately. (Not just at my job, but to avoid Emmett as well.) Jacob was sweet; he took me to Disney World for my day off. It had been years since I'd been there and I was excited to see Mickey. We went in and I played the typical tourist. I snapped pictures of everything. Jacob asked one of the professional photographers to follow us to take a picture in front of Cinderella's castle, but I didn't think much of it. He was easily excited by simple things like us getting a semi-professional picture together. Little did I know what was really going on.

As the photographer got situated I stood in awe of the castle. I had always wanted to be a princess, and here I was. I stood in front of a beautiful castle. I glanced at Jacob and turned back to the castle to think.

He really does treat me like a princess. Am I ungrateful because I'm not sure if I want to stick around? Maybe. Sure, I loved him. Sex isn't great. It's- OK- at best. But not bad. Aren't you supposed to have great sex if you're in love though? I don't know. I have a good thing going, why mess it up now? Let's enjoy the day and I'll think more later.

That's when I turned around. Jacob was on his knee, a small black box in his hand, a shiny diamond sparkling up from the inside.

Oh shit. This isn't happening. I'm not ready for this!

He had tears in his eyes while he asked me to be his wife. I was stunned. But I said yes.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really do love Jake. I didn't want to hurt him. And really, what else could I say? Maybe this is what I've been waiting for. Maybe this is what I've needed. Maybe it'll finally click the way it should.

Later that day we told everyone our news. My parents were happy. His parents were happy. All of our siblings and friends were happy. Everyone was happy. Me? I was content is suppose. I was still in shock too. I mean really? Me getting married? Hell must have frozen over. Pigs are flying. Bella Swan was never destined to be married!

I plastered a fake smile on my face and threw myself into wedding planning almost immediately. I was very meticulous in my planning. It kept my mind off the actual deed of getting married. I didn't know the first thing about being a wife. I still wasn't sure I even wanted to be a wife. Of course, I would never tell that to Jacob. He was over the moon about the start of our new life together.

Another year goes by. It's mid-May and it's suddenly time to take that fateful walk down the aisle. Everything was seemingly perfect. My dress was something out of a fairytale. Every little detail had come together just as I pictured.

Everything, except for me.

As soon as I woke up that morning I knew in the pit of my stomach I was making a mistake. I shouldn't marry Jacob Black.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read the first chapter of "Is This Really It?" It's my very first fan fic, and I am still nervous about posting. Partly because I'm new at this, and partly because this is the story of MY life. (Yes- the Spiderman part is REAL!) **

**A big thanks to my girlies on twitter for helping me get this out there follow them and read their shit too: MyDaughterBella and PixieBella88 I wouldn't have had the guts to do this without you two!**

**A special thanks to SexyLexiCullen for writing Quiet Storm (you should really check it out!) It was the first totally non cannon Fan fic I ever read. It got me hooked. She made me the Aro addict I am today. ;-) Thank Lex!**

**And remember- the beautiful SM owns all things Twilight. I am just a slave to her characters and my own plot. ;-)**

**Quick review: Bella's just woken up on her wedding day and realized she doesn't want to marry Jacob. **

Chapter 2:

At breakfast that morning I confided in my BFF Alice about my thoughts. She's been there through the whole Jacob and Bella love story. She knew all about my past, though I didn't know her back then, she loves me despite that. She told me I was just scared, and that she would be worried if I wasn't nervous. She poured me a glass of champagne, and called the hotel's spa and arranged for me to have a massage after breakfast. She said I needed to relax. Maybe she was right.

I felt a little better after the massage. Nervous is good right? I mean, I'm getting married for fuck's sake. That's HUGE. Of course I should be nervous. I laughed it off for the time being and drank some more champagne. It's MY day today, and I'll do what I want. My bridesmaids showed up soon, along with my hairstylist and makeup artist. We all got to work.

In no time, I looked like I was the princess I've always longed to be. I was beautiful, and I knew it. I gave myself a once over in the mirror. That's when the nerves started again. As much as I loved being the pretty princess, and as much as I loved all the attention, I couldn't shake the thought that this was all one huge mistake.

This time I voiced my concerned thoughts to a roomful of my bridesmaids. Once again, I was met with the same response that Alice had given me. It's normal, you're nervous blah blah blah. That's when the bottle came out and the shots started. We still have a few hours until the ceremony. I can afford to do a few.

The shots didn't stop.

When the time came, my father Charlie was there to walk me down the aisle. I slurred my concerns to him as well. Traitor that he is (he really does love Jacob) handed me another drink and told me it would be OK.

Thanks for the words of wisdom dad.

It was time to go now. He practically had to carry me down the aisle. I wasn't fully able to walk on my own. I'm still not sure how I made it all the way down. My drunken walking skills must still be in tact from my college days.

He passed my hand to Jacob. We stood there as the minister talked. Jacob started crying like a baby. I was drunk, and I knew in the back of my head that his sobbing should be sweet, but I was just fucking annoyed.

What the fuck is this? Kindergarten? We're getting married for Christ's sake. Man up already. Shit, he's a pussy. Hold up, why did I just think that? I love this guy. Don't I? Suddenly I'm not even sure about that anymore. Maybe I should excuse myself and walk away. Yeah. That's what I'm going to do.

It's too late now though. While I was having my internal war, the rest of me had gone into auto-pilot. My mouth said what was supposed to said, my hands had exchanged rings. Next thing I know, Jacob is kissing me and everyone is cheering. I was married. Nothing I can do about it right now. I decided to enjoy the rest of the night.

I really did enjoy myself that evening. I love being the center of attention. I danced, I drank, and people took tons of pictures of me. We took the reception back to the hotel for an after party. We drank some more, and before I knew it- it was time to go to the bridal suite.

Yeah. Some suite, it was kind of crappy. It had an ugly bed, generic hotel decorations and it smelled of stale cigarettes. But who cares. Jacob barely made it into the room before he passed out drunk. I hadn't really been looking forward to consummating this marriage, so I fed him shot after shot, drink after drink during the after party. I knew he was a light weight.

We flew to Vegas for our honeymoon the next day. Hey guess what? We only had sex once that whole week. I won't bore you with the details. I swear it was high school all over. We kissed a little, took our clothes off, he stuck it in and…. It was over. Yup. That fast.

By the way, I hated Vegas. The only good time I had was when we went to see the Blue Man Group. Alice bought us tickets as a happy honeymoon gift! She knows what I like!

Life went back to "normal" when we got home. The only thing that had really changed after all was that we are now legally married. We still had the same apartment, same jobs, same everything. Our day to day lives haven't changed. I quickly found myself falling back into our old routine. It was easy to forget we were married. I didn't even change my name. I had no plans to so either. I didn't want his name. Bella Black? It just doesn't sound right to me.

Later in the year, our lease was up. Jacob wanted a house. We went house hunting with a real estate agent friend of Jacob's named Seth. I really didn't care about having a house. I just figured it was the next step. It was another step that I wasn't ready to take. Jacob picked the house. I painted and decorated during the evenings before we moved in. I didn't ask for his opinions. I decorated how I wanted. I really didn't give a shit if he liked it or not. He's a pussy, and he would do whatever I wanted.

As much as I dreaded taking that next big step, I was kind of excited to move into the new house. I had enjoyed being able to decorate and style everything the way I wanted it. It had been so long since I had been able to do that. Our move in day was to be on Halloween.

It was also at this point in time Alice happened to need a place to live. She had just broken up with her long time beau and needed a new place to stay, but couldn't afford one on her own. We agreed that she could live in one of our spare rooms, we had plenty. Besides, I really wanted my bestie to be around more. Suddenly I was looking forward to moving day.

Moving day has come. All of our friends were there to help us out. Our apartment was pretty small, so we had everything packed and loaded into the UHaul quickly. It was just a short ride to the new place. Maybe this will be a good thing.

Alice helped me unpack boxes, while Jacob and his best friend Embry and another work friend of mine Jared, moved in furniture. A few others were around helping with other odds and ends. The sun was setting as the last of the boxes got brought in. Jacob, Embry and Jared decided to take the UHaul truck back. I told them not to take long, as Jacob and I had planned to take everyone who helped out to a fancy dinner that night. I told them what restaurant, and that reservations were for 8pm. The guys left, while the rest of us went about to get ready for our night out.

Alice and I were sitting in the living room with our friends. We were all dolled up for our night out. It's 7 o'clock and we're still waiting for Jacob, Embry and Jared to come back. They had left around five and the UHaul place was just around the corner. It shouldn't have taken this long. I tried calling their cells, no one answered. I was getting pissed off. Finally at 7:30 I said fuck it. We all went to the restaurant without them. We ate and drank and had a good time. The guys never showed.

It was after midnight when Alice and I got back to the house. There was still no sign of the three amigos. Now I was getting worried. Alice and I started calling all of our mutual friends, but no one had seen the trio. Shit. Now what? I didn't know what to do. I was worried they had been in an accident, but at the same time told myself that they were grown-ups. They can take care of themselves.

Worry won out in the end, I got in my car and drove up to the UHaul store. I know, it was stupid. I didn't know what I'd expect to find. Maybe there was some sort of accident that had yet to be cleared up. I don't know. I just went. Of course the shop had been closed for hours by then. I turned around and went home.

Alice and I continued to unpack and put things away into the wee hours of the morning. We had just finished getting my bedroom put together when we heard the door open. I looked at the clock; it was three in the morning.

I went into the kitchen, and sure enough, there's Jacob. Embry and Jared were at his flanks. They were drunk and holding yellow bags from Wendy's. I completely lost it.

"Where the FUCK have you been?" I screamed at Jacob. "Don't you have any respect for me whatsoever? WHAT THE FUCK!" I can't ever remember a time I had been so angry. I was practically shaking.

Alice came up behind me and put and hand on my shoulder, urging me to calm down.

Jacob just stood there. He didn't say a word. Shit, I could swear it looked like he didn't even understand what I was saying.

"WHERE. THE. FUCK. HAVE. YOU. BEEN?" I yelled out each separate word, mere inches from Jacob's face now.

He wasn't the one who answered. It was Embry who got back in my face.

"Shit bitch! We just went to the titty club" he yelled at me. "Get the fuck over yourself"

Uh- no he did NOT just call me a bitch in my own fucking house.

"Who the hell are you to speak to me like that in MY FUCKING HOUSE? You guys were supposed to come STRAIGHT THE FUCK BACK! We had plans for fuck sake!" I was up in his face now.

I honestly can't remember all the words that were exchanged then. All I saw was red. I wanted to fucking kill Embry. The only snippets of his raving I heard included words like "cunt, whore, bitch, slut, fuck you" you get the picture.

While those words were tumbling from Embry's mouth, I glanced at Jacob. He was still standing there, looking dumb, holding those Wendy's bags.

WHY are you just standing there? Fucking man up and DO SOMETHING! I'm your fucking WIFE.

All he said "I brought you a chili"

I lost it again. "I don't want any fucking CHILI! I want this mother fucker OUT of MY house. NOW!"

Neither Jacob nor Embry made any move to leave. Jared however, looked remorseful. He mumbled a quick "I'm sorry Bella, I'm so sorry" and walked out the door. I thought I saw tears in his eyes. I didn't care at that point.

I kept looking back and forth between Jake and Embry. Jake never moved. Embry kept calling me a cunt, a slut and a whore. I couldn't help but wonder why Jacob STILL didn't do anything. Isn't a husband supposed to defend his fucking wife? What the hell?

It was Alice that came to the rescue. She threw her tiny body at Embry, making him back up. She pushed his ass out the door and told him to leave. She may have threatened to cut his dick off. I may have offered to put in the garbage disposal for her. Either way, Embry got in his car and finally took off.

She turned her wrath on Jacob next. I was too pissed to watch so I went outside to try and chill out. The cool air helped some. I found that Jared was still waiting. He told me he was sorry again, and explained everything. Apparently he didn't want to go to the titty club, but Jacob and Embry talked him into it. And then he couldn't talk them out of leaving, but felt bad just leaving them there. He continued to apologize. I accepted his apology. He was the only one of the group to even bother with one. I respected him more as a friend for owning up to his mistake.

I went back in after a while. Alice was waiting for me with Jacob. Neither were speaking. He tried to mumble an "I'm sorry" but I didn't want to hear it. I grabbed Alice, and we went into my room. I locked the door. Jacob spent his first night in our new house on the sofa. I slept in my bed wrapped in Alice's arms crying.

Jacob and I spoke the next morning. He apologized over and over. I still didn't want to hear it. I was still pissed about the night before. He thought I was mad that he went to the titty club. I really couldn't care less about that. Even I enjoy a good night at the strip club.

He came home from work with roses and champagne. He bought me diamond earrings. At least he was trying to make up for it. Of course, I didn't want any of it. I wanted a husband who would defend me no matter what. He just didn't seem to get it.

Things went on after that. Day by day. Step by step. I went through the motions. The months went by. I was unhappy. Jacob and I rarely, if ever, had sex. Not that we had much of a bedroom life before. When I had free time, I went out to the club or bar with Alice. Jacob didn't mind. He's a bartender now, he worked nights.

Alice and I started frequenting a bar close to home where a friend of a friend bartended. His name is Aro. It's not his real name, but trust me, it's better than the one his parents gave him! He was gorgeous. He stood around six feet tall with dark hair and a beautifully sculpted chest. He wore tight jeans when he was behind the bar, and even tighter t-shirts.

I may have drooled a little bit when I first met him. Ok. It was more than a little bit.

He makes Alice and I strong drinks. He turns on the charm of his every time we come near too. When we're at his bar I feel like I am special. He pays attention, he asks questions and even listens to the answers. He asks me how my day has been when we come in. He's always got a smile just for me. We like to flirt with each other. He knows I'm married, and I know he has a serious girlfriend. We both know it's all in good fun, but I couldn't help myself from crushing on him.

Aro's bar became my escape from married life. I found myself actually happy when I was there. Maybe it was the booze, or maybe it was just Aro's body or the attention he always showed me. Even was all just part of his bartending act, I didn't care. He would let me forget my problems. If I had asked he would have let me run my fingers through his hair, and down his chest. I just know it's got to be rock solid.

As the weeks go by, I find myself crushing harder and harder on Aro. He starred in my dreams at night. It was always the same dream too.

I would walk up to his bar, as normal. He poured me my drink, we talked. Just like always. Except this time it was just us. I "accidentally" spill my drink down the front of my low cut shirt. (My boobs look great by the way) Aro gently begins to wipe the alcohol away with a towel. He stops and looks me dead in the eye. "Now, that's just alcohol abuse" He leans across the bar and licks the remnants from my breasts. I'm instantly wet down below. I'm breathing heavy, eyes closed as I moan his name. He stands back up he chuckles at me. "Wow, if you liked that then you'll love what's next"

Next thing I know- we're miraculously in his bed (hey- it's a dream remember) He starts licking the tops of my breasts again, slowly tugging down my shirt and bra to expose more. His hands explore my legs, my hips, my hair. Anywhere they can reach. His mouth is all over my boobs. Licking, nipping, swirling that tongue of his. I can't take it. I push him off me and practically tear my clothes off. He doesn't stop at all. His hands continue their journey. His touch is so gentle, so pure, yet it lights a fire deep inside. I need more. I ripped his shirt off. Somehow his pants are on the floor. I need this man like a vampire needs blood. I need him, and I need him NOW. I look into his eyes- "Please? Aro please?" he smiles, and takes off his boxers. He's perfect. He doesn't say another word, doesn't even kiss my lips, he just hovers over my naked body and joins us in the most beautiful of ways.

Slowly, oh so slowly, he pushes his manhood into me. It's like nothing I've ever felt. It's just so right and so beautiful. I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to sing his praises in church on Sunday. He goes faster, harder, deeper. My body thrusts up to meet his. It's hot and passionate and I simply can't seem to get enough of him. He's kissing my neck, biting on my shoulder, tonguing my nipples. He still never kisses my lips. Our rhythm increases, and I know I'm close. I'm so fucking close. "God DAMN ARO! Fuck me, fuck me harder" I scream. He complies and my release is imminent.

And then. Then…

I wake up. I always wake up. Damn.

The first time I had that dream I felt guilty. I'm a married woman. I may not be happily married, but married is married right? Of course, I also thought- it's just a dream. Dreaming is OK right? I would never actually DO it. Would I?

No, of course I wouldn't. I may be unhappy, but I still don't want to be disrespectful. Jacob is my husband. And I'm not really that much of a bitch. I might not be totally right in the head, but I do know my moral compass points mostly north these days.

My guilt doesn't keep me from wanting to go to the bar though. But now that I have this dream in my head, I can't help but dress sexier. I'm pretty sure subconsciously I hoped to make that dream into reality. But I was never fully aware of it.

Sad to say though, it wasn't much longer when Aro left his job at the bar. He moved in with his girlfriend and went and got himself a "real job" as he called it at some investment firm or something. I was crushed, and I had no right to be.

Once again, I took the time to step back and evaluate my life. I was unhappy. I was married. Could I leave Jacob? Where would I go? How would I do it? I can't afford a place on my own anymore. No, I can't do that. I've gotten used to our comfortable lifestyle. It took both of us working full time to keep that up. I had a house, a cute husband, my car was paid off, and I had no debt. I was in better financial shape than most 24 year olds. I decided I'd just stick it out. My life as a whole was good. Yes, I was unhappy, but I also knew not to rock the boat so to speak. That would be stupid. Besides, happiness isn't everything is it?

Life went on. It always goes on. Alice and I continued to go out, but now we always change up our watering holes. We also spent more and more time drinking at home. My boat was floating along. I was along for the ride. It wasn't all bad.

**A/N Soooo…. A nice little lemon shoutout to one of my favorite Quiet Storm (a story by the great SexyLexiCullen) characters Aro the Cleaner. I heart him. It's a little unhealthy, but I'm not complaining! Leave me some review love, and I'll see about adding more. Cause there's got to be more right? Bella can't just be around for the ride? And where the hell is Edward? Hehehe. Love you all! And again- thanks to ALL of my twitter ladies for your encouragement to get this out there! You're all inspirations to me!**

**Don't forget to leave me some review love! Follow me to twitter if you want too: RobinB78 I like to talk dirty! LOL **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight and all characters. I just like to mix them up with my imagination.**

**A/N- thanks so much for all the previous reviews. I see a lot of you have read, but only about 10% review! Reviews keep me going! Good or bad, one word or more, all reviews welcome! **

**Special thanks to my twitter h00rs for their support and assistance! Particularly MyDaughterBella and PixieBella88 without those two wonderful ladies I never would have put this down, let alone published it! Thanks girls!**

**When we left chap 2, Bella is unhappily married, but decides her life in general is pretty good. Why rock the boat with something as trivial as her unhappiness? **

**This one is on the short side, BUT Edward is FINALLY entering the story! Enjoy**

Chapter 3:

I was driving to work on a spring morning when a radio DJ informed us that it was May. May 9th to be exact. I couldn't believe it. I had almost survived a whole year of being married. It was utterly surreal. I was proud of myself to have made it that far. After all, the first year is supposed to be the hardest right?

In 9 days it would be officially one year. Jacob was excited. He decided to take us on a week-long Caribbean cruise to celebrate. We leave in exactly 5 days. I wasn't that excited, but it's a vacation and I really needed one. Sure I have to share the vacation with Jacob, but maybe it won't be so bad.

Maybe I have a chance to fix this. Fix myself in this situation. Accept it for good.

I continued onto work. Have I mentioned that I don't really like my job anymore either? No? Well I don't.

I had finished my work day and was on my way home. I had some messages on my phone from Alice, but ignored them. I'll see her in a few minutes anyways.

When I walked into the house Alice practically attacked me. She was nervous and excited and a little more scatterbrained than normal. She told me she had accepted a date from a man she met while working her part time gig (she was a bartender in a local night club when they were short staffed or had special events.)

Now, this is totally unlike Alice. She is always the epitome of safe when it comes to men and the club. She never gave her real name, never drank with them, and always had a bouncer walk her to the car after dark. She never took a guy's phone number or card, and definitely never gave hers out. She's a safety girl. She always tells me 'You never know which ones are going to be creeps."

Needless to say, I was a little confused about why she threw safety to the wind and agreed to this particular date. I asked her why.

She didn't explain, just told me she was having second thoughts and didn't want to go alone and to get dressed. I was coming with her. I agreed, but made her call her date, Jasper is his name, to let him that I was coming along. Oh and that we're going to PF Chang's for dinner.

What? I had a craving for lettuce wraps. If I've gotta go I might as well get something out of it too.

I also made her tell him to bring a friend. Bella Swan does NOT play the third wheel. It's no fun. No one likes to be left out. Jasper agreed.

I had had a bad day at work (what else is new?), so I decided to have fun tonight. Adventurous Bella is coming out tonight. I wore a skin tight pair of jeans; my fuck me boots and a very special tank top. It perfectly molds to my breasts and shows close to every inch of cleavage I have. Printed on the front it says "I fucked your girlfriend" I've learned from past adventures that this shirt really gets the guys going.

_Men sure do love to think about girl on girl action. I don't get it. It's just how it is in the male brain I suppose__. _

Plus, I always wore this shirt when I was feeling a little feisty. Of course, since we were going to a respectable restaurant, I also wore a black poncho style cardigan. At least for now.

As Alice and I walk to the restaurant she points Jasper out. He's already sitting at a table on the patio. He had held up his end of the agreement and has a friend with him. Jasper is cute. He looks to be decently built, blondish hair and blue eyes. He's a little older than me, but not much. Maybe 3 years. He's dressed well and has a nice smile.

_He is so NOT Alice's type._She has a thing for Latino men._This guy's a total pretty boy. Whatever._

We can't see much of his friend. His back is to us and he's sitting down. He looks tall though. His hair is dark, but with a strange bronze tone to it. From behind, he looks like he just rolled out of bed.

_Or like he just had sex. Yeah. Sex hair. That's what it is_.

He wore khaki shorts and had long toned legs. His t-shirt was flanked by two muscular arms. He was nice to look at so far, but I wasn't really interested. I was married. Unhappy or not, married is married. I can't get let myself carried away. It would be wrong.

Jasper saw us approaching and was quick to stand and make introductions.

"Hi, I'm Jasper. Nice to meet you" he says to me, with his hand reached out.

"Hi. I'm Bella. Be good to my girl, or you'll have to deal with me later." I said with a sweet smile.

_Yeah, I'm a little protective of my girl. I love her to pieces__. _

Jasper just let out a little chuckle. He must have thought I was kidding. He apparently doesn't understand the power of the BFF.

Just then the tall stranger stood and turned around. Now, I know you're expecting me to say I swooned. It was love at first sight and all that garbage. But really, it wasn't. He was handsome. I'll give him that. But I can't afford to notice things like that. I'm married. I can't really look too closely at the others. It's just not right.

"Hello ladies. My name is Edward Cullen." He says to us.

_He's got a nice voice. SHUT UP brain. We can't think about that. Lots of men have nice voices. _

We introduce ourselves and we all sit down. Alice next to Jasper, Edward sat next to me. It was a little awkward. I didn't really care though. It's no big deal. This is Alice's date, not mine.

We all ordered and talked. We spoke about work and life but it was mostly just dumb small talk. Jasper and Edward were students it turned out. Edward and I are the same age; he's just a few months older than I am. Jasper and Edward like to play golf. Alice and I like to shop.

As the evening went on I found that Edward was easy to talk to, like an old friend I hadn't seen in ages. I found myself opening up a little more. Of course, Alice noticed this and made it a point to constantly remind Edward that I was married. Over and over again. She sounded like a broken record after a while. It was annoying so I started to drink more. I'm supposed to be adventurous Bella tonight, no shyness here. So I ordered a shot for myself, and one for Edward. Why the hell not? While I was at it, I took off my poncho sweater to reveal my tank.

Edward gave me a small crooked smile, and raised an eyebrow as the waitress left to get our shots. He noticed the shirt. It's hard not to.

"Nice shirt" He tells me.

"Thanks. It's one of a kind." I retorted.

"I'm sure it is. Are you sure shots are a good idea?" He asks.

_What the hell kind of a question is that? I ordered them didn't I? Would I have done that if I thought it was a bad idea? I think not. _

"It's just that you've had two mixed drinks already. You're small. I'd hate for you to get sick." He adds.

_Edward Cullen doesn't know shit about Bella Swan._

I laughed while I said "I don't think I'll have any problems keeping up. I may be small, but I can hold my own."

"We'll see about that."

_Ha! He doesn't know what he's gotten himself into now. Let's drink!_

That was the end of me. I can't back down from a challenge. I made a mental note to match Edward drink for drink during the rest of the evening. I did pretty well if I do say so myself. He ordered a drink, so did I. He did a shot, so did I. I was having fun. I loosened up a bit and was able to relax a little.

As dinner wound down, we all decided to go to a bar. Jasper and Edward suggested a local British style pub that wasn't too far from the restaurant. Alice and I were excited; we hadn't visited this place in our drinking adventures yet.

We followed in Alice's car. On the drive she was gushing about Jasper. I wasn't paying much attention. I was chugging the big bottle of water that she always kept in her car. I hate to say, but if I didn't sober up a little, I might not be able to keep up with this unspoken drinking competition. And I planned to win.

Once we got to the pub, Alice and Jasper promptly disappeared. To this day, I still have no clue where they went. I'm not sure I want to know.

But I digress. They disappear, leaving Edward and I all alone. We were both pretty comfortable with each other by now. We had been drinking and talking all evening long. We ordered our drinks and sat at table in the smoke darkened pub.

We talked for hours on end. We opened up about everything. No subject was off limits. We spoke of my past in all of its whorish glory. We spoke his ex-girlfriend and what a controlling bitch she was. He told me about a girl his cousin was trying to set him up with. He wasn't into her; she was too good of a girl he said. He asked about my marriage, and I answered as honestly as I could. I didn't air all of my dirty laundry, but I did tell him I was unhappy with that part of my life. He asked why I didn't just leave. I tried to explain. He thought my staying around was the dumbest thing he'd heard of.

_Maybe he's right. No. I made a decision. I need to stick to it._

"What's the point of staying when you're not happy? Don't you think you deserve to be happy?" he asked me.

No one's asked me that before.

_Did I deserve happiness? I don't know. I guess I do, but I've already made my decision._

I didn't think he'd really want to hear the answer. I changed the subject.

At some point during our conversations things began to change. I noticed how handsome Edward really is. I noticed the way the lights bounced off his oddly colored hair. I noticed his intense green eyes. His eyes that seemed to be on me and nowhere else. They seemed to care about what I said, even if what I said was totally off the wall. I felt more like Bella around him. More like the real me. The me that I often didn't share with others anymore. I didn't feel my normal stress. In fact I didn't have care in the world. It seemed nothing could bring me down if I was around him.

Maybe it's just the alcohol. No. We weren't drinking like we were in the restaurant. In fact, I'm pretty much sober now. Edward had made it a point to bring back a bottle of water for me with each round.

I was starting to get a little worried about Alice. I looked at my watch and realized we had been at the pub for nearly 3 hours.

_WHAT? Where'd the time go?_

The next minute, Alice and Jasper came over to the table and sat down. Their clothing was wrinkled, their hair in disarray. I didn't ask. I still didn't want to know.

We shared one final round as a group. Edward made a toast to new friends and happy futures.

I couldn't help but think he was trying to tell me he wanted to be part of my happy future. _That's just crazy talk. He's just being nice and wishing Alice and Jasper well._

The men walked us to our car and held open our respective doors. Jasper gave Alice a quick peck on the lips and shut her door. Edward was still standing by mine.

He stared down at me with those green eyes of his. "I had a wonderful time tonight Bella."

"I had a good time too Edward. Thanks for listening." I replied. He bent and kissed my cheek. As he turned to shut the door I could swear he said "Why does she have to be married? It's just not right."

_I must have drank more than I thought, now I'm imagining things._

The door shut. Alice squealed like a little girl. "Tell me EVERYTHING" I demand. She shook her head and gave me a sly little smile. "Jasper's a good kisser." She whispered. We both squealed for a few minutes, talking with fast and broken sentences as only BFFs can do. I didn't press for more details; I really don't want the gory details of what all he kissed. I already knew. The bestie always knows.

As she put the car in gear she asked me what Edward was like. I looked at her for what seemed to be an eternity. Tears welled up in my eyes. Before they could spill over she takes my hand asking what's wrong.

In that moment everything changed for me. All the small details of the night meshed together into a beautiful picture. It was a picture of Edward. In that moment I just knew. I had met my soul mate. But I also knew I shouldn't keep him.

"He's perfect." I sniffled. "He's the one I'm supposed to be with. I just know it." I cried some more.

She held on tightly to my hand.

We drove home in silence.

**A/N - So, what do you think? Will Bella run to Edward? Will she stick to her marriage with Jake? What about Alice and Jasper? What do you think caused Alice to accept his date offer? The answers will be revealed soon! **

**Please review review review! I'm already working on chapter 4! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll work on it! **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the Twilight Goddess and owns all. **

**A special thanks to my girlies for helping me out with this chap! MyDaughterBella and Twi_LightLady (Twilife2011) hit those two up on twitter! They're awesome!**

**You can follow me on twitter as well- RobinsFF I can have a nasty mouth- just so you're prewarned! **

**This chapter is mostly filler stuff. I actually find it fairly boring. However, it is important to the story as a whole. **

**When we last saw our characters- Bella and Alice were on the way home after the first "date"**

Chapter 4

All I could think of over the next few days was Edward. Our conversations at the bar, the way he looked, and the way he smelt, the way he seemed to like me too. He wasn't rude or disrespectful. He was kind and understanding. He made an effort to get to know me better. I was in awe.

Before I could think about what I was doing, I found myself trying to talk Alice into another date with Jasper. Of course, he would bring Edward and Alice would bring me. I bugged her constantly to call Jasper - to press him for details.

"Did Edward like me too? Did he ask about me? Does he want to see me again?" I would ask Alice.

Alice got tired of my games so she made Jasper give her Edward's phone number. She handed me a piece of paper and pretty much told me to stop being a pussy and just call him myself.

_WHAT? I can't do THAT! I can't talk to him!_

I looked at paper nervously. I wanted to ask Alice to call for me. Yeah… I felt like I was in middle school for wanting to ask my friend to call. Maybe I should just pass Edward a note that read "Do you like me? Circle one: YES or NO."

She called me out. She asked what was going on in my head, though she probably already knew. After all, we had talked about how I believed Edward is my soul mate for hours on end. She would smile, and let me ramble on and on. Every now and then she'd say something cryptic about fate and destiny and what's meant to be will be. I figured she was just telling me what I needed to hear.

When I didn't answer her right away she asked again, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

I sighed and opened my mouth to talk. Nothing came out.

_Big breath Bella. It's Alice. You can tell her anything._

I took a couple of big breaths and talked fast. Letting it all spill out.

"What if he doesn't want to talk to me? Why should he want to talk to me? I'm married. What would a single, hot guy want with a married woman? What do I say? I don't think I can do this. God, I want to do this. I've never felt like this before. What the hell does that mean?" I took a breath.

Alice rolled her eyes at me. She grabbed my cell and dialed his number, pressing the call button as she handed me the phone. "What's the worst that can happen? He says he had fun but he's not interested. Then what? Nothing. You don't lose anything. Life stays the same."

_She's good. She makes sense. I don't have him. He's not mine. I've got nothing to lose. _

As the phone rings she adds "You'll never know if you don't talk to him. We can figure everything else out later."

_Damn she's REALLY good. _

"Hello?" Wow, I didn't imagine that smooth silky voice the other night.

"Edward? Hi. It's, um, Bella." I said shyly.

"Um… hi Bella Can you hold on a sec?"

I could hear loud noises in the background. It sounded as if there were a lot of people around, being loud. I thought I heard a few cat calls in the mix. It seemed as though they were directed at Edward but I couldn't be sure. The noises faded away.

He must have stepped away to talk to me.

"Hi Bella. Sorry about that. It gets noisy in there. What's up?"

_SHIT FUCK DAMN! I have no idea what to say. What do I say?_

"Not much. Just hanging out with Alice! What's up with you?"

_Jesus Christ Bella! You're so fucking LAME! _

"Um, Not much. Just at the pool hall with the guys. Collecting rent money." He laughed.

We went on like that for a few minutes. We were talking but not really saying anything. We had shared hours and hours of unrestricted conversation just the other night, but now we're back to the dumb ass small talk.

"Soo…" I started.

"Soo…" he repeated.

"I just wanted to let you know that I had a good time the other night. I know it's crazy, and you probably don't want to bother with a married woman because that would be just crazy, but I'd like to do it again sometime." I was talking fast again, trying to get it all out as painlessly as possible. It was like pulling off a Band-Aid. Just rip the fucker off.

He didn't say anything. For a minute or two all I could hear was him taking deep breaths.

_Yep, I shouldn't have bothered. He didn't want me to call. _

As he let out a loud sigh I began to speak again, "I'm sorry Edward, this is stupid. I shouldn't have even bothered calling you. Enjoy your game." I hung up.

I looked up to Alice and gave her a sad shrug as I put the phone down. She rushed and put her arms around me as I cried. It felt like someone had punched a hole right through my chest. Alice stroked my hair and spoke generic words of comfort.

A few moments later, Alice's phone alerted her to a text message. She had a sly smile on her face as she typed her response. I figured it was some crazy sex talk thing she was doing with Jasper. I left the room to give her some privacy. I just didn't want to hear or see the happiness.

As I grabbed a bottle of wine from the fridge my phone rang. I grabbed it up and looked to see who it was. The screen alerted me that it was a blocked call. Yeah. I so don't answer those. I figure if it's really that important they will leave a message with a number to call back. I put the phone back down and poured a glass of vino.

The phone rang again. Another blocked number. I didn't answer.

Five minutes later the phone rings yet again. And guess what? It was a blocked number. I'm pissed off now. Obviously it's the same person calling. What are the odds of getting three calls from a blocked number within minutes of each other? Pretty damn slim! I decided to give whoever was on the other end a piece of my mind.

I yanked my phone open and yelled, "What the hell do you want!"

"Umm… Bella…"

_SHIT! _

"Sorry about before. The call must have dropped or something."

_Well no, I hung up on you. _

"Edward? Why are you calling me?" I nervously asked. "It didn't seem as though you wanted to talk to me before."

"I'm sorry about that. I was just surprised you called. I wasn't expecting it. But I'm glad that you did." He told me. He sounded genuine.

"Yeah, um, so… " He continued. "I can't really talk right now, but I'm going out with Jasper later tonight around 8 o'clock. Maybe you and Alice can join us?"

_WHAT? He wants to see me again! This can't be happening! Yay me! _

"Sure. Just have Jasper text Alice the place and we'll meet you there." I answered.

"Okay, I'll see you later then." He said before he ended the call.

I stood there for a moment. Stunned by what had just happened. He had called me back. Not just that, but he wanted to see me again too. I looked at the clock. It was six in the evening.

_Oh my GOD! I'm going to see him in two fucking hours! SHIT! _

"ALICE! OH MY GOD! ALICE!" I called as I was running through the house to find my BFF.

I found her in her room, she was on the phone. I don't have the patience to wait right now! I need my bestie! I grabbed her phone, quickly told whoever was on the other line that she'd call them back, and then hung up.

"Yes Bella? Do you need to tell me something?" Alice calmly asked. She had an evil smirk on her face.

_She KNEW it was him calling the whole time! That little bitch! _

She was sitting on her big bed laughing at me. I can't be mad at her. I ran and tackled her, both of us laughing hard. We chatted about our plans for the evening, wondering what I should wear and if we should go to dinner first. I asked her if she was excited to see Jasper again.

She gave me a look of pure disgust. "Ugh. I really don't like him. He's a sloppy kisser. It's like being licked by a dog." She spit out.

Okay, now I'm really curious. She seemed to get along so well with Jasper. "Hun, what are you talking about? I thought you were into him?"

She went on to explain her side. She told me how she felt compelled to accept Jasper's first date offer. She had no idea why, but her gut told her she needed to go out with him. She further elaborated that as soon as she saw me walk through the door on the night of said date that she just knew that I had to come with her. "I don't know why but I felt like YOU had to be there." She confessed.

She told me more about what happened when she and Jasper disappeared that night. (They found a dark corner on the outside patio of the pub and made it their own little love nest.) She said she hated every second of it, but felt that she just had to do it. I still didn't understand. If you don't like it, then why would you keep making out with someone?

I was about to ask her just that when she starts to tell me. "I think the reason I felt like I HAD to do all of that, was so you and Edward would have the chance to meet. I really believe it was Fate's hand, that she was guiding me. Helping you two meet, through me."

I was floored. I didn't believe in that fate and destiny shit but it made sense. I felt this unexplainable pull towards Edward like he was a magnet pulling me towards him or something. It seemed as if my life was consumed with all things Edward since the night we met. He was in my every thought, my every dream. He was all I talked about with Alice. I had even wished upon a star that I would go to bed and have Edward lying next to me instead of Jacob.

But fate? Is there such a thing? I wasn't a believer, but I still hoped.

I went off into my bedroom to get ready for the night ahead with Edward. My mind was still reeling about everything that me and Alice had spoken about.

**A/N: Hmmm... wonder what'll happen when they all get together again. It could be interesting. **

**As always- a big huge shoutout to MyDaughterBella and PixieBella88 without those two h00rs I never would have bothered writing this! Loves you two!**

**Now go review review review! Things are pretty crappy over here in my reality, so the more reviews I get the more likely I'll be to hurry my ass up with the next few chaps! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing. SM is the Twilight Goddess. **

**Thank you to all who have read and reviewed so far! I appreciate the feed back, but really people? Several hundred views and only a handful of reviews? You guys can do better than that! Please send me your reviews, positive or otherwise! Everything I get helps me make better decisions when writing in the future! **

**I had a hard time writing this chap. Please leave honest feed back. Lemons will be coming in the next few chapters. Though they may not necessarily be between Edward and Bella! **

**As always, I thank all of my h00rs on Twitter for helping me do this and supporting me in my quest! Check these ladies out: Pixiebella88, MyDaughterBella, Twi_LightLady, KierraTCM, KewlWhip76, SexyLexiCullen. Hell there are others, just follow me on Twitter RobinsFF and check out the list of those I follow. All of these ladies and gents are amazing and I wouldn't have the courage to continue without them! **

**Review: As we left chapter 4 Alice and Bella were getting ready to meet Jasper and Edward at a bar.**

Chapter 5

I was all ready to head out to the bar to meet the guys when I had a sudden attack of nerves. I'm a married woman for Christ's sake. What the hell am I thinking? Nothing can ever come of this right? So what's the point of going?

He's so pretty.

SHUT UP!

Jesus! Now I'm talking to myself in my head. I'm answering myself too. This can't be good. WHAT is it about this guy?

He's the one you've been waiting for.

I must have had a panicked look on my face, as it was at this point Alice slipped her arms around me and gave me a tight hug.

"Stop thinking, you know it does you no good." She joked into my ear. "Use tonight to answer all the crazy questions in your head. By the time we come home you'll have the answers."

God I hope she's right.

We got into her Mustang and turned up the music. It was insanely loud, but this is what we always do before going out. We sing and dance in our seats and pump ourselves up. I instantly felt better and ready to take on the world.

As we neared the bar my nerves started again. I worried out loud if they would even bother showing up. My mind was almost instantly settled as we pulled into the parking lot. The entire front of the bar was made up of floor to ceiling windows. We could see Edward and Jasper inside playing pool.

I breathed a small sigh of relief. Alice just laughed at me.

"Go in already. You look fucking hot. You can do this." She says to me.

She was right. I did look hot. I had on a pair of tight black short shorts, a low cut red top and a pair of low heels. Alice had of course done my hair and makeup perfectly. I was a walking advertisement for understated sexy. At least that's what Alice had said when she was done with me.

As soon as we walked in the guys came to greet us. Jasper tried to kiss Alice, but she wasn't having any of that yet. She would need a drink, or two or ten before Jasper got another kiss. Edward took my hand and lightly brushed his lips across my knuckles.

"My my Bella, don't you look amazing tonight." He crooned at me.

I smiled like a giddy little school girl who had just been asked on her first date. It was pathetic.

"Umm, OK. So we have a table over here. Can I get you a drink?" he asked.

Drink. Drink. Shit. I couldn't think of a fucking drink now? "Margarita please. Rocks, extra salt." I managed to get out after a minute of floundering.

As the guys went to get drinks Alice pulled me to the table. I was panicking slightly. I could barely answer the man to tell him what I wanted to drink! How am I going to get through the rest of this night? I must look like the biggest loser in the world already.

"Get a grip Bella! Shit!" she practically yelled. "HEY JAZZ! Get Bella a shot also!" she called towards the bar. She knows me too well. It's scary sometimes.

But this is what I need, more liquid courage. I still can't believe I'm acting like such an idiot.

_Snap out of it Bella! He's just a guy! An incredibly hot, sexy and totally drool worthy guy, but still a guy! You can do this!_

As soon as the guys came back I downed my shot. It didn't take long to feel the effects and loosen up a bit. It felt good. I relaxed a bit and was able to enjoy watching as the guys continued the game.

Okay, so I enjoyed the view more than I enjoyed watching the actual game. What? They're hot guys! You'd enjoy the view too.

I noticed Edward's muscular arms. They weren't huge, but they were well defined and tanned. His back flexed beneath his tight shirt as he bent forward to take his shots as he played. His upper body seemed to be very well defined. I wasn't sure who was winning the game, not that I cared either way. Like I said, I was just enjoying my view.

A few moments later my view got a lot better. Jasper missed his shot and the little white ball came to a stop near the side of the table where Alice and I were sitting. As Edward bent forward in front of us I was graced with a full view of his denim clad buns. I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped wide open. It was a very nice sight. This man's ass could be should be a national monument. Yeah. It's that good.

As I openly gaped at Edward's rear I noticed something off. I didn't see the top of his boxers. I pegged him as a boxers guy, don't ask why. I just did. But now I'm curious. Maybe he wears tighty whiteys. I thought. But still, I should have seen the waistband of his briefs if that were the case, his jeans were pretty low slung. As he moved to the opposite side of the table I couldn't help myself.

"Boxers or briefs?" I asked.

Edward looked up and smirked at me. "Wouldn't you like to know little girl?"

Um, yeah. That's why I asked.

I smirked right back and raised an eyebrow. "Well? Are you too chicken shit to share?"

He laughed at that as he replied "Neither."

When I asked him to elaborate he just shrugged his shoulders. It was frustrating. Whatever. I hoped to unravel the mystery soon enough.

I was completely relaxed now. I started talking to Edward more freely. We seemed to get back into the groove, so to speak. We talked openly, about everything and nothing at the same time. After a while we all ordered food. We were having a good time. I was glad I came.

Of course Alice had to look at her watch and freaked out about the time.

"Shit! It's almost midnight! I have to work at six in the morning!" she told us. She called over our waitress and started to settle up our tab while explaining that we had to go now so she would be able to get a few hours of decent sleep in.

Trust me, no one wants an ill rested Alice. I sighed. I know she's right and we need to leave. Of course, that wouldn't stop me from trying to use my skills of persuasion on her.

I gave her my best 'sad puppy dog' look. I begged and pleaded with her. "Come on Alice, who cares? Call in. I don't think your landlord will mind if you're a little late with the rent." I threw in, laughing because; of course she lives with me!

She didn't want to hear it. She must be immune to my powers now. Sadly I started gathering up my purse and turned to tell Edward good night.

He wasn't any happier about it than I was. "Hey, do you have to work in the morning?" he asked me.

"Well, no. I'm actually off tomorrow." I replied. Not quite sure what he was getting at.

"Do you mind if I drive you home later then? Jasper and I came in separate cars. He has to leave now too." He pointedly glanced at Jasper as he spoke.

I smiled and told him I'd like nothing more than to stay. Alice gave me a wary look but shrugged her shoulders and gave me a kiss goodnight. Jasper just shook his head as he started to leave. I think I heard him mutter something about man code and bros before hoes. A few moments later it was just Edward and I.

Edward started to rack up the pool balls for another game. "Do you play?" he asked me.

"No, not really. I've played once or twice but totally suck ass at it." I reply.

"Ha! Let the master teach you then!"

What the hell I thought, as I picked up a pool cue.

We played a couple of games. Edward was good, I sucked ass. I'm pretty sure he was holding out and letting me win. But I don't mind. I also didn't mind when he would come up behind me to 'help' me align my shot. After I sank the eight ball in for the final shot Edward suggested another round and walked to the bar to get our drinks.

As I was sitting at our table and older dude comes and introduces himself.

"Hello sweet thang." He drawled. "I'm Marcus. You should ditch pretty boy there and come home with a real man." He proudly rubbed his greasy hand from his neck down to his belly.

I took everything I had in me to not flat out laugh in his face. This "real man" in front of me couldn't be any younger than 40. He had a well-defined beer belly, a bad excuse for a comb over and tobacco stuck in his teeth from his chew. Is he serious?

I'm not sure how I did it, but I somehow managed to remember my manners. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm rather fond of my 'pretty boy' as you call him." I responded.

Marcus chuckled and put a grimy hand on my exposed leg. "Now baby, don't be like that. You don't wear short shorts like that, popping your ass all over the place and expect to not get any attention do you?" I visibly shuddered and pulled away from his touch.

I looked towards the bar where Edward was, he turned and looked at me in that exact moment. He must have noticed the look on my face, even from across the smoky room. He said something quick to the bartender and was at my side in an instant, his left arm wrapped around my waist while he pecked me on the cheek. "Can I help you Old Man?" he asked to Marcus, you could hear the anger dripping from his voice.

"Uh uh uh. I was just telling the lady how pretty she is," Marcus said as he walked away. I looked to Edward and we both laughed for a moment.

Edward rushed back to the bar to grab our drinks. As he came up from behind me, he placed our glasses on the high table in front of me. His arms snaked around my waist and he rested his head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry that bastard bothered you." He whispered in my ear. "I didn't like seeing that one bit."

I was in seventh heaven now. All I've wanted since the day I met this man was to have his arms wrapped around me! Now they are, and he's even whispering in my ear. Damn he's got a sexy voice. I can feel my panties getting wet already.

I leaned my head back a bit and told him not to worry about the 'competition' as there really is none when he's nearby. He stood up straight and chuckled. I wanted to know what was so funny about that so I leaned my whole head back. The top of my head rested against his chest as I gazed at his now upside down face. He was looking down at me with a huge smile on his face. I smiled too. That's when it happened.

He tightened his hold around my waist and dropped his head to mine. His lips brushed mine in a slow and sweet kiss. He tasted of beer and pretzels. I started to open my lips for him when suddenly the kiss was over. Before I had the chance to mourn the loss of his lips, I was spinning around in the tall stool until I faced him. One hand went forcefully behind my head; the other was wrapped around my shoulders as he attacked my mouth.

His kiss was forceful, passionate and hard. It was magic. My lips automatically opened for his and I allowed our tongues to play together. My hands traveled up his back, down his arms, into his hair. Everywhere they could reach. He kissed me harder. I pulled him in tighter.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered Jacob. I'm married. I shouldn't be doing this. Jacob's kisses have never been anywhere near this. But I just can't find the will to care about Jacob's feelings or our marriage at this point. Edward's lips were on mine now and nothing else in the world mattered. I couldn't get enough of him and I sure as hell didn't want to let him go. You would need a crow bar to pry us apart at this point.

We continued kissing and making out like teenagers at prom for what seemed like forever. Hands were roaming and groping each other's bodies. Our tongues are doing a delicious dance inside our mouths. We were in our own little world and no one else was allowed in. I never wanted to leave.

**End Note: OK- so not as juicy as I had hoped to make it, but really, they're still in the bar. I promise lemons will be coming up in the next few chapters! **

**Please take the time to send me a review. Even just a quick smiley face if you liked it will make my day! If you didn't like it, leave me a review and tell me why so I can better my writing in the future! Thanks so much for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I own nothing. SM is the Twilight Goddess.**

**Big thanks to my twitter h00rs. Without you ladies (and gents!) I am a nobody. I love you all and you inspire me each and every day! Follow them: pixiebella88, kewlwhip76, mydaughterbella, twi_lightlady, upsidedowntwist, parsonsapril and everyone I failed to mention! I love you all and wouldn't be doing this without you!**

**Chapter 5 review: Edward and Bella kissed for the first time in a bar. **

**Chapter 6:**

Wow. Just wow. That's all I can think right now. Edward and I have kissed! I never knew just kissing could feel like that. I felt, I don't know. Whole. Complete. Like I had found something I never knew I was looking for.

The rest of that evening, in a nutshell, was spent kissing. We kissed in the bar. We kissed in the car. Edward dropped me off at home and guess what? We kissed some more. It was like the flood gates had been opened and we couldn't stop. My panties were certainly a wet mess when I went inside that night. Thank GOD for the trusty rabbit! I really REALLY needed it that night!

That was a few days ago though. Today I am obligated to play the "good little wife" to Jacob. He has planned a week long cruise vacation for our first anniversary. I'm not sure what I think about that. I'm excited to go on vacation. Lord knows I could use it. Of course, I'm not all that excited about the company I'll be keeping. I'd much rather be stuck on a boat for seven days with Edward.

Don't get me wrong. I've spoken and texted Edward pretty much non-stop since "that night." We seem to talk about everything and nothing all at once. He tells me he can't wait to kiss me again. Just hearing him say that makes my panties wet.

STOP!

I can't think about that right now. Right now I am pool side on a big boat that's heading to the Caribbean. I HAVE to play the good wife this week no matter what. Of course, I've already decided the best course of action that needs to be taken in order for me to do this. Drinking.

Jacob and I have been on the ship for 2 hours and I'm already on my fourth frozen pink concoction with an umbrella sticking out of it. My hope is that I'll stop thinking about Edward long enough to really enjoy my vacation. So far that is obviously not working. I keep drinking, just in case I haven't had enough for my plan to properly work.

A few days later I still haven't drank Edward out of my brain. Oh well. I suppose there are worse things to be thinking of. Like having sex with Jacob. I visibly shudder at that thought.

Jacob and I just don't have sex. I have no desire to do so. Jacob is too much of a pushover to ask me for it. So, we normally just don't do it. In fact, I don't even sleep under the covers with him anymore. I claim it's because I get hot, but we all know that's not the truth.

Being this is supposed to be our anniversary cruise though; I can't get away with not having sex with Jacob. It's the night of May 18th. One year ago today Jacob and I were married. I don't see why we should have sex though. We didn't on our wedding night. Why now? But being the "good little wife" I am I went along with it. I draw on my slutty college years to pull me through.

I drank more than I ate at dinner that night. I was half in the bag before we were served our main courses. By the time we made it back to our room I was toast. I slipped into the bathroom to put on something "more comfortable" for Jacob. It's a black lace nighty, a gift from his ever annoying mother. Lucky for me my BFF Alice anticipated my needs for me and had slipped a sample sized bottle of lube in my makeup bag. Yeah. I went ahead and rubbed it into my lady parts before coming back out. Might as well play the role well right?

As I put the bottle away I noticed a small satin bag in my makeup bag as well. I opened it. There's a small vibrator in there. The kind that's designed to slip onto your finger tip. There's also a note from Alice. "Use it while you do Jake. At least you'll get off." Oh my Alice. She knows me too well! I love her. I flush the note down the toilet. I may not love Jacob, but I'm not cruel enough to let him read that. I tuck the small vibe into my cleavage and check myself once more in the mirror.

When I exit the restroom I find Jacob already nude and laying back on the bed. Like the sight of his naked body was supposed to entice me into wanting it more or something. He was visibly impressed with my outfit. I let him touch me. I closed my eyes. I tried to imagine what it would feel like to have Edward's hands touching me so intimately. Edward's hands are calloused and slightly rough. They're strong and powerful. They would feel delicious on my sensitive skin.

Jacob's hands are softer than mine. I don't like that. If I wanted hands _that_ soft on my body I'd find a girl to be with. That thought reminds me of the time Alice and I had some girl on girl fun for a hockey team at Aro's bar once! It was hot. I'd rather have her hands on my right now than Jacob's.

Jacob is now trying to stretch this thing out. He's mumbling something about foreplay and wanting it to be a 'special' night. Yeah. Whatever.

"Baby, just fuck me. I need you to fuck me." I fake moan to him. Really, I just want to get this over with.

Jacob, being the pansy he is doesn't argue with me. He tries to climb on top of me. That's not going to work for me. If I'm going to do this I don't want to see his face.

I push off him and make him lay on his back. I straddle him facing away. Reverse cowgirl style. I hate this position. But this way I don't have to look at him, and I keep all the control. I'll be damned if we do doggy style and let him take over. Not happening.

I sighed as I sank down onto Jacob's small stick. He thought it was a sound of contentment. I know it was one of regret and disappointment. Regret that I ever married him. Disappointment that it wasn't Edward's dick I was fucking.

I moan and mumble as I'm riding him. Typical porno things tumble out of my mouth. "Oh baby, that's it." And shit like that. I don't mean any of it. I pull out the finger vibe from my cleavage and slip it onto my finger. It hums quietly. Jacob, dense as he usually is, somehow noticed it. He thinks it's hot.

"Oh babe! Fuck! Are you going to finger yourself while I'm fucking you?" he pants. He's panting like a dog, like he's the one doing all the work here. I roll my eyes.

"That's so hot honey! I'm so glad you feel comfortable enough with me to touch yourself like that in front of me!" he continues.

"Shut up and fuck me!" I yell at him. I really don't want to hear his voice while I'm trying to get myself off.

I don't have time to take it slowly right now. I know Jacob pretty well. He'll do whatever he can to hold himself back until I cum. I don't want to prolong this any long than necessary. I finger my clit with the vibe. I imagine Edward's voice next to my ear. He's telling me how tight my pussy feels against his hard cock. I circle around and around my magic button until I feel myself release.

Jacob is of course turned on even more by me cumming. He somehow thinks he had something to do with my orgasm. He tries to pump deeper. His small dick can only go so far though. It's not fulfilling at all. I'm so over this, I just want to pass out now. But he won't stop until he's done. And he can take FOREVER sometimes.

A moment of genius hits. I reach down between my legs down to Jacob's little boy parts. I still have the vibe on as I start to play with his balls. I smile my shit eating grin when he groans really loud and grabs my hips. Two more seconds of vibrating ball playing and he's done. I climb off him and head to the bathroom. I shower, change into my pajamas and hit the sack. Jacob is still basking in his post-ejaculation glory.

Whatever.

Three days later the cruise is finally over. We're back. As soon as we get to the house Jacob's cell phone rings. It's Saturday afternoon. His boss is in desperate need of some help at his bar this evening. Jacob being the one who can't tell anyone 'no' agrees to go in. A few hours later he's gone. I know he won't be home until at least four in the morning. I couldn't be happier.

As soon as he leaves I pick up my phone and call Edward.

"Hey baby! I missed you and your sweet, luscious, lick-able lips!" he answers.

I swooned. Yes. I really did. Had I not been sitting down, I may have fainted. God that man is sexy!

"Hey yourself Eddy! If you missed them so much, then maybe you should come see them." I tease.

"Your wish is my command. I'm coming to pick you up. See you in ten!" and he hangs up.

I have no clue what he's got planned, but I know it's going to be good. I called Alice real quick. She was bartending at the club that night. She just told me to wear something hot and go with the flow! She directs me to a specific outfit in her closet. Yeah. That'll do!

It's a pair of skin tight green and black plaid pants. Very low slung on the hips. She paired them with a satin black corset top and a pair of her black boots. Boots that I describe as hot, heeled, Doc Marten style boots. They're sturdy, but strappy. A little grungy and a little sexy. They have heels, but not the ones I tend to fall over on. They're perfect.

She had also left a new G-string with the outfit. It's black, with jeweled strings. It's smoking hot.

I quickly got dressed and pulled my hair up into a messy knot at the back of my head. A little bit of makeup and I was ready to go. Within seconds of applying my finishing lip gloss touches I hear a knock at the door, followed by a "Hey! Any sexy ladies here?"

Edward. I sigh as a huge smile found itself onto my face.

As I walked into the living room my smile only got larger. Edward was even hotter than I remembered. Tonight he's wearing a fitted pair of jeans. Not tight though. They hang from his hips in that way men's pants do. He's got a black button up shirt on. It's tucked into his jeans. The top few buttons undone. Sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. God, I want to lick and kiss and nibble on his muscular forearms. His hair is messy as always. His green eyes are eyeing me up and down.

He holds his arms out for me. I eagerly jump into them and am received by a long, sweet kiss.

"Ummm… babe. I missed that." He sighs into my mouth as he sets me back on my feet.

He grabs my hand and asks if I'm ready to go. I nod and grab my purse.

"Good. I have big plans for us tonight" he says with a devilish grin. I kiss him again. I can't resist that smile.

He leads me to his car, opens the door for me and even buckles me in. He takes his seat at the wheel and looks over at me and licks his lips.

"Here we go!" he says as we back out of the driveway.

I have no idea what he's got planned. But I sure as hell can't wait to find out!

**A/N: HAHAHA. *Evil Laugh* Sorry for the cliffy. Well not really. I'm a bitch like that sometimes! ;-) Will do my best to update better! Keep the reviews coming! The more I hear you want me to continue, the more likely I am to keep writing!**

**A few rec's for your reading enjoyment!**

**Twilife2011 : The Best of Both Sides: Married to the love of his life for 7 years, Edward soon shows Bella he is more than just a father he is also THE DADDY! AH, rated M for language and HOT lemon. This is a one shot .net/s/7022493/1/The_Best_Of_Both_Sides **

**AND also by Twilife2011: Against The Unknown: As soon as Bella Swan meets Edward Cullen obstacles stand in their way... can their love for one and other overcome it or will there be to much pressure to carry on... this is my Burning Desire re-done I was not happy with it so I've changed it up... .net/s/7003991/1/Against_The_Unknown **

**Pixie-Belle88: Outside In: Bella is a fun, loving, Horny, ditzy PA to Emmett Cullen, Edward is the Cocky, Horny CEO of Cullen Designs...Will these 2 get together, If they do it'll happen Outside...In. M Rated for swearing and Lemons. .net/s/6859473/1/Outside_In **

**lt90: Uptown Reality: Rose and Bella need and new apartment, and fast. They think they found just what they are looking for, until things head south. Although though everything is falling apart the hot landlord, Edward, knows just how to fix it. ExB. Cannon pairings. AH. .net/s/6916360/1/Uptown_Realty **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: SM owns Twilight. But you already knew that!**

**Thanks for all the reviews and new alerts that you guys put on my story! Makes me smile! But for all 600+ of you that hit up my story, only a handful reviewed- so I might have to be mean with updates! Hehe. Probably not though! **

**I feel the need to explain a few things that have come up in reviews. Some don't understand Bella's attitude towards Jacob. So I'm going to try to show things a little better, with a visit to the past.**

**A special thank you to MyDaughterBella for giving me some things to think about for this chapter! And for helping to convince me to write this all down to begin with! You rock my socks woman!**

**Chapter 6 recap: When last we saw Bella, she was heading out the door with Edward to go somewhere…**

ITRI Chapter 7

The night Jacob and I came home from the cruise, I found myself out with Edward again. I had really missed him which I found slightly odd. I knew in my head that I _shouldn't_ miss him. I hardly knew the guy and I'm married to Jacob for Christ's sake. But, the heart wants what the heart wants I suppose. I was pretty sure my heart was with Edward, even though I haven't given it permission to do that yet.

That night, Edward took me to local club that was hosting a "retro" themed night. It was great! We drank and danced and sang along to all of our favorite cheesy songs from the 80's and 90's. I found myself on stage with a few other women shaking my ass to "Baby Got Back." It was a good time!

It's back to reality now. I'm working my job at the theme park. I'm miserable here. But it's been rainy, so that means less work and more time to just sit around and think about things. This is exactly what I did. I sat around thinking about my little situation. You know… the being married but finding myself super (and I mean SUPER DUPER) attracted to another man. Yeah, that situation.

Just how in the hell did I get here? Never in my life did I think I was capable of doing something like this. Let's start from the beginning.

I met Jacob about three and a half years ago. He worked in the loading docks of Islands of Adventure, the theme park I worked at. I was still considered a junior manager in my department (which is food services) which basically meant I got to do all the mundane tasks that senior management didn't feel like doing. I counted money, got cashiers ready for their shifts and dealt with the guys from the loading docks when they brought us our supplies for the day. This is how Jacob first met me. He brought the order to my restaurant one day.

Now, don't get me wrong. I was there but I didn't notice him or even talk to him that day. I didn't even give him a second glance. I was still in my "slutty" phase. I was currently dating a drummer from a local band and getting into the pants of one of the park's staff paramedics. Like I said, I was in a slutty phase.

My wake-up call came a few weeks later. I woke up with a raging hangover from the night before. I couldn't remember _anything_ that had happened the night before. I had no clue how I'd gotten back to my apartment or even who I'd been out with. I'd showered and gotten ready for work on auto pilot. But something clicked in my brain when I looked into the mirror. I didn't see the college girl looking back at me. I didn't see the girl who didn't have a care in the world and did whatever she wanted. I saw an adult staring back at me. It was in that moment in time I decided I needed to grow up and start acting like the adult I saw.

Jacob was the one to bring the order to my restaurant that day. He'd been doing this five times a week for several weeks now, but this was the first time I actually noticed him. Well, acknowledged him anyways.

Jacob came over after he put our order away to say hi. We started talking and eventually he asked me out; I accepted. I figured what the hell. He was a nice, responsible looking guy. He was older but that didn't bother me much at the time. I figured if I was going to be an adult then perhaps I should date one.

Jacob wasn't my "normal" type of guy which is part of the reason I said yes to his date. He was short for a guy – just a few inches taller than me. He seemed to be solidly built though. He had beautiful russet colored skin and jet black hair and eyes. He had an easy smile that crinkled up at the corners of his eyes a little bit. He made me feel comfortable just being me.

We started dating seriously a few months later. He actually asked if he could be my boyfriend. I giggled at that and said "yes." We had an alright time together. He didn't drink much, he didn't swear and he always drove the speed limit. The sex was only okay. I let that go thinking that as we got to know each other better the sex would become better.

Six months down the line, he told me he loved me. I said it back. At the time I think I meant it or at the very least wanted to mean it. Though I never would have said those three little words if he hadn't said them first. It just seemed to be what I was supposed to do. I'm being an adult now, right? I have a steady boyfriend; we've been together for six months. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?

A year into the relationship, Jacob took me to Disney World. Work life at the park had been crazy and I was super stressed. He thought playing at Disney like kids would be a good relaxing day. However, he stopped in front of Cinderella's castle before we could go ride Space Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean. That was when he asked me to marry him; in front of what seemed to be a thousand others. He cried while he asked. And I don't mean a few tears; I mean he was a sobbing mess. I found it odd. Men aren't supposed to cry like babies. I pushed the thought aside though. I had an audience waiting for me to say "yes," so I did. That's the next step in the "adult" world right?

Almost another year later and we're at our wedding day. During the engagement we had gotten a new apartment together. I picked it out. I picked out all the furnishings. Jacob let me. I knew he hated our bed the moment I picked it out but he never opened up his mouth to voice his opinion. I liked it; he said nothing, so I got it. Maybe I'm a little bit of a bitch, but isn't a man supposed to be able to speak his mind? At least to tell his fiancé that he doesn't like the bed set she picked out?

This was when I started having my first doubts about marrying Jacob. Isn't this supposed to be a partnership? Shouldn't he have some say in things like how we decorate our place? Where we go for dinner or what we do on our days off? Shouldn't he at least have an opinion on small things like that? More importantly shouldn't he share those opinions? It wasn't so much that I wanted him to approve or disapprove my every decision but I wanted him to have a backbone. I wanted him to think for himself and not let me just run over him. I wanted that from him. I needed that. I knew he loved me and wanted me happy but all I saw was a weakness in him that was incredibly off-putting - nothing was a more horrible turn off for me than a spineless man.

Other things were also starting to grate on my nerves when it came to Jacob and our relationship. He cried at sappy movies, he still never voiced his opinion about things that concerned both of us, and he could never, EVER tell me no. Even though I was getting everything I wanted, I couldn't help but feel disappointed in a way.

Now, don't get me wrong, getting my way all the time was fun… for a little while. But seriously, who likes having things just given to them? I'm not the type of person that actually enjoys having everything I want just handed to me. I need someone to push me a bit. I need structure and I need someone who's not afraid to stand up for their opinions or to me when necessary. I am definitely a boundary tester. I always loved to see what I could get away with and Jacob let me get away with EVERYTHING. I would come home piss ass drunk after a night out. I wouldn't tell him nor would he ask where I was, what I did, or whom I was with. What would he do or say about it? Not a damn thing. If it were the other way around, I would've thrown a shit fit.

What I suppose this all came down to was that I needed a MAN. Jacob, while several years older than me, certainly didn't act like the man I had always pictured in my head that my husband would be. Sure, he fixed small things around the apartment, changed the oil in my car and all that junk, but when it all boiled down, he was just a little boy dressed up inside an adult body. He had no clue how to be the man I needed and wanted. I don't think he had it in him. In fact, most of the time I think he was just giving me what I wanted so I didn't leave. It was frustrating.

I just didn't love him. Not in the way that a fiancée should love the man she's about to marry. _Maybe_ I loved him as a friend. I'm not sure. I tolerated him. Sure, I liked him. I didn't wish him any ill will or harm or anything like that, but I sure as hell didn't want to be with him either. Of course, I didn't fully figure any of that out until the day of our wedding.

Call me an idiot or a moron. I deserve it for not coming to my revelation sooner than on the morning of my wedding day. I blame my busy work schedule, my extremely full social calendar, and planning a wedding. But still, it's probably just my own damn fault. I swear, sometimes I think I should've been born a blonde.

What? You're concerned about my social calendar? Don't worry. I never cheated on Jacob. I'm playing the adult remember? Adults don't cheat… at least not in my head, but I do have work related social responsibilities and plenty of friends and I'm not one to let a boyfriend dictate my life or keep me from my fun. He was always invited to go but declined more often than not.

Anyways, I woke up on the morning of my wedding filled with dread. I was alone in the bridal suite of the hotel, and it hit me. _What the FUCK am I doing?_ I thought to myself. The pieces of the puzzle finally settled together and I felt like a big fucking neon light had turned on inside my head. It said_ "YOU DON'T LOVE HIM! DON'T MARRY HIM!"_ I knew what I had to do. But could I do it?

I thought about that while I showered. I really didn't want to disappoint my parents. They had paid for this huge, elaborate wedding. Of course, most of that crap was my mother's idea. I couldn't care less about most of the details but I still couldn't let them down. I also didn't want to tell the two hundred or so guests that they all flew to Orlando for nothing. I also wondered if I could really be that big of a bitch? Could I just leave Jacob waiting at the alter? I didn't think I could.

You see, I talk a big game. I have my badass side but when all is said and done, I still like to keep things simple. I'm not one who normally "rocks the boat" as they say. I'm definitely not a confrontational person.

I went to breakfast and met up with one of my bridesmaids, Kate. She gushed over me and mistook my expression as nerves. She kept going on and on about jitters and cold feet. I shook my head.

"No, Kate, I don't think its jitters. I don't love him," I point blank told her.

Kate laughed and handed me a mimosa. "Have a drink, Bells! You've been with Jacob for two years! Of course you love him! You're just nervous."

I took the drink. I also took the two others she pushed on me after the first one was gone. The champagne and orange juice mixture seemed to calm me down a little bit.

The rest of my day was similar to my morning. I confided in two more bridesmaids and even Alice about my feelings – or lack thereof for Jacob. They all said the same thing. I was nervous. I had cold feet. It was perfectly normal to question your commitment before you take the plunge. They all had the same remedy – alcohol. Copious amounts of alcohol.

I was absolutely sloshed when it came time to line up to get the ceremony going. Charlie, my father, was supporting most of my weight as we waited for our turn.

"You okay, baby girl?" he asked.

"No, Dad. I'm not." I replied. "I don't want to do this. Can we leave? Please?" I was practically begging him at this point.

Charlie chuckled and reached into his tuxedo jacket. He pulled out a flask and offered it to me. I took a long swig like a good girl.

He gave me the same speech about nerves all that bull shit as we watched the bridesmaids head down the aisle. Alice heard our conversation as she was the Maid of Honor and standing right in front of us.

She turned to me and pecked me on the cheek before it was her turn. She smiled and whispered to me "You can always get divorced later." Then sauntered down to the arch of flowers where Jacob was sure to be waiting for me.

Charlie just smiled at Alice then he led me down the aisle to Jacob.

I honestly don't remember most of the rest of the night. I remember Jacob cried like a fucking baby again. I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes at him. I remember we left the ceremony to the sounds of Aerosmith wailing "Walk This Way." I think I danced. There may have been cake. I don't know. All I know is I was never without a drink.

Throughout the next few months, I became depressed and moody. I didn't go see a shrink or anything, but I was on auto-pilot. I just went with the flow, not really caring what happened.

It was during these months that Jacob insisted we buy a house when our apartment lease was up. We did. You know how THAT day turned out.

Now, here we are. I'm sitting in my office at work mentally kicking myself in the ass for allowing myself to be married to Jake. I never should have done it. It was wrong on so many levels.

He really was a nice guy. He didn't deserve a bitch like me treating him the way I did, but at the same time, I partly blamed him as well. He'd never once manned up or said anything about not liking the way our relationship was. Lord knows if I didn't like something, I'd say something. It might not be until later on and in private, but I almost _always_ said something.

I decided that I didn't even like Jacob anymore. I didn't like myself much either. I couldn't even fathom asking him for a divorce though. I wasn't raised that way. When you get married, you stay married. That's just how it happens. Certainly I'd grow to love him, right?

No. I wouldn't.

Maybe I would've if I'd never met Edward. After meeting him, there was no chance in hell of me growing to love Jacob. I knew that.

I glanced at the clock. It was time to go home.

Jacob is getting ready to leave for his late night shift when I arrived. Alice is nowhere to be seen or heard as Jacob pulled me into the hug he always gave me when I got home. That day though, I turn my head as he tried to kiss me. Stating I had a bad canker sore in my mouth that hurt really bad. He shrugged and let me go, waving as he walked out the door to head to the park for his shift.

I changed into my pajamas and poured a glass of wine. There were a few things standing out crystal clear in my head. First, I did not love Jacob. Second, I needed to find a way to get out of the marriage. And third, even though I didn't love Jake, I couldn't regret marrying him. If I hadn't married Jake then Alice never would have moved to the house. Without Alice and I living together, I never would have met Edward.

And meeting Edward was NOT something I regretted.

**A/N: Thanks for taking the trip down memory lane with Bella! I promise we'll get back to Edward and Bella in the next chap! Keep your eyes open! Body shots in a Volvo may be on the horizon!**

**A few Rec's for a few great peeps!**

_**Quiet Storm **_**by SexyLexiCullen : fanfiction (dot) net/s/6575026/1/ "Two weeks. Two years. Who cares?" A lesson in love, crime, and passion. When two young lovers find themselves in the middle of the storm, can love conquer all? AH. OOC. Rated M Mafia fic**

_**Lost in the Ocean **_**by AiculAiram : fanfiction (dot) net/s/6951654/1/Lost_in_the_Ocean : In 1994, in Green Island Bella and Edward didn't know one another but they've always been near to each other. When one leaves a room, the other comes in. Will they ever be in the same place at the same time together? Will they ever meet?**

_**My Heart's Redemption **_**by MyDaughterBella : fanfiction (dot) net/s/6794147/1/ : Bella hates Edward & thinks Jake's heaven Charlie gets sick, she's faced with some hard realities. Despite everyone's advice, she does things her way. When Edward saves the day, watch her as she learns about life, true love, trust, & heartbreak**

_**A Design of Chance **_**by Kewlwhip76 : twific (dot) blogspot (dot) com/2011/05/design-of-chance-chapter-1-by (dot) html : When you reach out in life and take a chance you never thought would evolve into anything, you settle for disappointment. Until one day chance comes back to you…and offers you more than you ever dared to dream of.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Characters. SM does. No copyright infringement intended. **

**I apologize for taking my sweet ass time updating. Most of you know that I have been completely OBSESSED with my new fic "Victoria's Secret" If you haven't checked it out yet, then you're really missing out! It's fucking awesome!**

**Next, I will TRY to be better with this story. It has started off as a semi-true story, based on how my husband and I met. However, I feel as though I need to break away from the realness of it, and move it more to the fiction part. That being said, I hope you enjoy where this will lead. Shit, I hope I enjoy where it leads! I have no clue right now! LOL **

**ALSO- please keep in mind that this fic is NOT beta'd. I may or may not have it done so in the future. I'm not sure. We'll see. **

**Here we go:**

**Chapter 8**

As luck would turn out, I have been forced to take a week off from work. My boss, Marcus, pulled me into his office Saturday afternoon and told me that even after the week I already took off for the cruise that I was still almost over my limit for vacation time.

"You can either take another week off, or lose the time," he says.

Duh. I took the extra week off!

He had already re-worked the following week's schedule so I was not needed to come in. It was a pleasant surprise.

The timing of this extra week off is what's best. Jacob is actually working two jobs now. He has a seasonal position at the "other" theme park here in Orlando. They've been calling him to cover shifts during the day. This week he works nine to five at the Mouse's park and then from seven or so until three in the morning at his normal job. But that's not what has me excited about the timing of the week off.

What makes this week even better? Edward has the entire week free as well!

He's a student right now. Believe it or not he's going to some specialty golf academy or something. I have no clue what they do there, besides play a weekly tournament at one of the many fine golf courses in the greater Orlando area. All I really know is that when he's graduated he'll have the option to get his PGA card, whatever the hell that means. For money, he works in the pro-shop at a local country club, and gives golf lessons to a few people on the side.

Yeah, he's kind of a dork that way. It doesn't bother me though. PGA tour golfers seem to make tons of money. I know Tiger Woods isn't hurting right now, in his multi-million dollar mansions. Yes, that's mansions, as in more than one.

So, it's Monday morning now. Jacob left for shift number one an hour ago, at eight o'clock. I'm sitting at the little breakfast bar eating my Frosted Flakes when my phone rings. Glancing down at the display I smile. It's Edward.

"Hello?" I answer, trying to sound like I don't know who's calling already.

"Bella? Hey, it's me," he replies.

I turn my head away from the phone for a second to let out a soft laugh. I feel like having some fun. "Me? Me who?"

"Um, you know, Edward."

"_Do_ I know you, Edward?" it's taking every ounce of energy to not laugh out loud.

"I'd like to think you do, Bella. But I'd like for you to get to know me better," his voice is smooth as silk.

"I think I might like that, what did you have in mind?" He doesn't know I have all week off yet, I haven't spoken to him since Friday night, and then it was only a brief conversation.

"Well, I was hoping I could take you to the beach. Are you off work today? I have all week free, so we can go whenever you're off," he says hopefully.

I decide to be nice and let him know that I've been granted the week off as well.

"Today is no good for me," I don't want to seem terribly desperate to spend the week with him, plus I've made plans to shop with Alice. "I have plans with Alice today. But…" I leave it hanging.

"But… what?"

"I have the rest of the week off as well!" I can't contain my excitement any longer.

"Really? That's awesome, babe! Can I take you to the beach tomorrow?" he sounds just as excited about my time off as I do.

"Yes, of course you can take me to the beach." I'm smiling so much my mouth is beginning to hurt. "I've gotta get ready to head out with Alice now, but I'll call you later okay?"

I really don't want to get off the phone with him. In fact, if Alice wouldn't chase my ass down and kick it, I would be on my way to his place already.

"Okay, babe. I'll be looking forward to it." I can tell he's smiling too. "Bye."

I sigh my goodbye and hang up the phone.

"AAAALLLLLIIIIICCCCEEEEE!" I scream as I run towards her room, bouncing onto her bed as soon as I enter.

"Go away," she mumbles from her pillow.

"Alice! We have to shop! I need an outfit for tomorrow!"

She sits up straight as I mention the word shop. "Seriously? You _want_ to shop? Let's go. Now. Before you change your mind!" She throws her covers back and gets up to grab clothes.

"Go! Get dressed! We're leaving in five! Wear comfortable clothes that are easy to get on and off, and slip on shoes!" she calls after me.

Alice keeps me out shopping all damn day.

We are now sitting in the living room, drinking wine and eating huge salads for dinner. It had been a good day. A long and expensive day, but good none the less.

I'm trying on the new outfits in Alice's room and we're discussing what I should wear for tomorrow's beach trip with Edward when there's a knock at the door.

Alice and I stare at each other for a second. We aren't expecting anyone. Briefly I wonder if it's Edward. I quickly dismiss that. He wouldn't come over unannounced.

Neither of us make a move to answer the door.

"COME IN! DOOR'S OPEN!" I yell towards the front of the house.

We hear the door open and the clicking of heels on the tile floor of the entryway.

"Where you bitches at?"

It's our friend Rosalie.

"We're in Alice's room!" I call out to her. I'm a little surprised, and a lot happy that she's here. We haven't seen her in ages!

With Rosalie's help we pick the final outfit, consisting of a tiny black bikini, black board shorts and black tank top. Alice and Rosalie go on and on about how black really sets off my pale skin and dark hair. Whatever. They're the experts. I'm just the Barbie Doll in all of this.

Once the outfit has been decided on, we retreat to the living room where another bottle of wine is opened. It's not long before we're a giggling gossipy mess. I spill everything to Rose, who has not yet heard about Edward.

"Oh my GOD! BELLA!" she yells at me. "How could you not tell me this?"

She looks a little hurt, but after explaining that no one beside me, Edward and Alice knows, she feels better. She's "in the know" now. She's even happier because she never liked Jake to begin with.

_Too bad I didn't know her before the wedding._

"Can we call him? I want to talk to him," she asks, grabbing my phone as she speaks.

"Sure, if you want to," I reply with a shrug of my shoulders. It doesn't bother me.

Not that my answer would have made a difference. She was already listening to the line ring before I finished. He answers on the third one.

I have no clue what he said, but it must have been sweet or dirty, because it causes Rose to gasp and mouth "Oh. My. GOD!" Before she speaks to him.

"Is this Edward? Edward Cullen?" she asks.

After she gets a response we hear, "This is Rosalie Hale, best friend number two to Isabella. You better not fuck this up."

I can't figure out what they're talking about now, because all I hear from Rosalie are "Uh huh" and "Yeah" or other such things that don't tell us anything.

She listens some more, and starts jotting something down on a piece of paper on the counter.

"Okay, I got it. Be there in half an hour!" she says and hangs up the phone.

"ROSALIE HALE! What did you do?" I yell at her.

She giggles and downs the rest of wine. "Go change, we're heading to Edward's apartment!"

I am shocked. My mouth hangs open.

I haven't been to Edward's place yet. Shit, I didn't even know where in town he lived. I hadn't bothered asking yet.

"GO! NOW!" she commands.

When I don't move she pulls me into my room, her and Alice digging through my closet for something to wear. They get me dressed in jeans and a tight t-shirt, fluff my hair a little and dab on a bit of make-up. The next thing I know, we're all in the car on the way to Edward's place.

I finally break out of my shock.

"What do we tell Jake? It's almost midnight now!" I panic. I may not love, or even like Jake, but I still feel slightly guilty for heading to my boyfriend's house when I know my husband will be home soon.

_Yeah yeah, whatever. Don't judge. It's not like they make a guide book to adultery or anything. Though I still firmly swear I am NOT cheating on Jake. Yet. At least not as defined by a court of law. I think._

"Don't worry about him," Alice tells me. "I called his cell and left a message, telling him we were heading out, and not to wait up or anything. And that we'll be downtown with Rose at a club, so not to bother calling cause we won't hear. Oh, and that we may crash at Rose's place."

I reach my hand to the backseat. I squeeze her fingers tightly when they find mine. "Thank you, Alice! You are the bestest bestest friend EVER!"

"What am I? Chopped liver?" says a sarcastic Rosalie.

I lean over and place a big sloppy kiss on her cheek. "You are the motherfucking BITCH, Rose! I love you so fucking much!" I kiss her again.

"Ewwww, Bella! That's gross!" she says, wiping her face off.

I sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride. I can't wait to see my man!

I am a nervous wreck when we pull into the apartment complex that Edward lives in. I have no clue what to expect. I know it's silly to think that way. I mean fuck, I fantasize about this guy all the damn time, but still, this is somehow big. Like, really really big.

The girls drag me out of the car and lead me to the proper door. We don't even have to knock before it swings wide open. I have no idea who is at the door, but he's not bad to look at. He's skin is darkly tanned, and he has piercing black eyes and short black hair. Reaching a hand out he introduces himself as Sam.

"Hi, Sam. I'm Bella," I tell him, shaking his hand.

"Ah, the elusive Bella. I was beginning to think Edward was making you up. He keeps telling us we're not allowed to meet you," he laughs out.

"Speaking of Edward…" I say, pushing myself past him. I know it was rude, but I don't really care. I want to see my man.

"Oh, he's in the shower, he'll be right out!" Sam tells us. "You ladies want a beer?"

We accept, and follow Sam into the small living room. It's packed. There's the three of us, plus Sam. There's also three other guys that I don't recognize, as well as Jasper in the tiny room. They're all crammed around the small television watching "Fight Club" and no one noticed us enter.

Alice practically sneers at Jasper. She really doesn't like him. She said he was too much of a pretty boy for her. Though I'm sure the fact that she's called him a sloppy kisser and a lousy lay have something to do with it too.

Rosalie looks around the room before turning back to me. "I swear, Bella, can't you date a guy with good looking friends?" she said a little too loudly.

Sam laughed from his seat on the floor, the other four look in her direction. You can tell they want to be pissed, but they're not. In fact, they're more or less staring at her rack with their tongues hanging out.

I can't say I blame them. Rosalie's gorgeous. She's tall, blond and has natural boobs so perfect that Victoria's Secret models would drool over them.

Rose continues throwing insults out to the idiots around the TV, she has them eating out of the palm of her hand. Jasper is the only one not looking at Rose. He's staring at Alice instead. There's a wicked glint in his eye, as if he's expecting something.

_Oh Jasper, she's just not that into you._

Suddenly I feel two arms wrap around my waist, and a mouth at my neck.

"Mmm, Isabella…" Edward sighs out. "I've missed you."

Turning in his embrace, I put my arms around his neck, hands playing in his still damp hair.

"I missed you too, Edward," I whisper.

He leans forward and crashes his lips to mine. His kiss is furious, possessive and needy. He takes my bottom lip in his teeth and nibbles it lightly, then licks it with his tongue, begging me to open for him. The instant I comply, his tongue is in my mouth.

We kiss until we are forced to break apart to search for air. Panting against his chest I hear the sounds of applause and cheering. I blushing I turn to face the small crowd, presenting them with my middle finger.

Edward laughs and pulls me further into the room. I introduce him to Rosalie. He introduces us to Dimitri, Garrett and Randy. They all go to school together, and Garrett is his roommate.

We all sit around, bullshitting and drinking beer. I pull Edward's arm up to glance at his watch, spitting beer all over him when I realize it's four in the morning.

"SHIT!"

Rose looks over to me from her spot on Garrett's lap. "What?"

"Shit, Rose! It's four fucking A.M!" I shriek at her.

"Chill the hell out, Bella," Alice soothes. "You're covered. It's already been taken care of."

"Wha…" I try to get out.

"Bells- I said not to worry about it. So don't," she says.

"Fine," I huff at her, crossing my arms over my chest.

Rolling her eyes, Alice stands up. She grabs my hand and forces me away from Edward. "Rose, come with us for a second."

I'm confused, she's pulling me to the door and I have no clue why. "Uh, I guess we'll be back in a sec," I say to no one in particular.

Alice doesn't stop dragging me until we're at the car. She opens the door to the back seat and pulls out a backpack. "Here, everything you need for tomorrow is in here."

My eyes widen. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, Best Friend, that I have taken care of everything with Jacob. He thinks we're clubbing with Rose. He _knows_ how we are when we club with Rose. He thinks we'll be spending the night with her, too drunk to drive home. We'll cover for you," she tells me, as if I should have already known all this. "I packed your stuff for the beach tomorrow in here, as well as a toothbrush, deodorant and all that stuff, you're all set to spend the night with Edward now!"

I grab my friend and pull her into a bear hug. The grin I'm wearing threatens to split my face in two. "You're the best, Alice!"

I hug Rose, "Thank you so much for getting us here!"

We go back up to the apartment, where the girls announce they have to go. Rosalie not so subtly suggests that the other guys leave as well. Including Garrett, even though he lives there. I'm not sure how she does it, but they all listened.

Within fifteen minutes, the apartment is cleared and it's only me and Edward.

"Hi," I whisper shyly to him.

"Hi," he says back, before he takes my hand and leads me to his room…

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah- I know there's plenty of you that want to slap me silly right now! LOL Those who know me well, and read VS know that I am a self confessed cliffy addict! <strong>

**Since I am moving this into more to the fiction side- I'd like to hear what you all want to see happen! Please review and let me know!**

**Hope you enjoyed reading it! **

**Don't forget to check out my other fic as well! **

**Hugs n Kisses!**

**~Robin~**


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